The state’s school education department issued a ‘withdrawal of no objection certificate’ notice on Friday to Vibgyor High, Goregaon (West).

The state’s school education department issued a ‘withdrawal of no objection certificate’ notice on Friday to Vibgyor High, Goregaon (West).

The department had initially asked the school to take back the expelled Class 9 student Adishree Gopalkrishnan.

“The department served the notice to the school on Friday because they have still not taken the expelled student back and also because of the fee hike issue,” said S. R. Chavan, deputy director, education department, Mumbai region.

The school education department has given time to the school to explain themselves and if the department does not find the explanation acceptable, only then the final no-objection certificate that is required to run the school will be withdrawn.

An official from the school education department confirmed that if this certificate is withdrawn, the school would have to make provision for the other students of the school in any other school in the vicinity and till then they would be allowed to conduct their classes.

“We have started the requisite legal procedure and we will be requesting the department to consider their decision and not put the lives of the other 1600 students at stake,” said school principal Shim Mathew.

Adhishree, a Class 9 student was expelled from school on June 2, a day before the new academic session began.

The reason cited by the school was that Adhishree’s mother, Avisha Kulkarni had filed a ‘false and unwarranted’ police complaint against the school management last July alleging that she feared the school would physically harm her and her daughter.

“The school is jeopardising the future of other children, and the students are being made to suffer. I am fighting for this as my child is being made to suffer for my fight against the management,” said Adhishree’s mother, Avisha Kulkarni.